BMI today announced its 27th annual BMI Latin Award winners celebrating the top songwriters, publishers and administrators of the previous year’s most-performed Spanish-language songs in the United States. Major awards, including Regional Mexican Songwriter of the Year, Contemporary Latin Songwriter of the Year, Regional Mexican Song of the Year, Contemporary Latin Song of the Year and Publisher of the Year, were all revealed across BMI’s digital and social platforms. Wisin y Yandel, who were slated to receive BMI’s President’s Award this year, will now be honored at the 2021 BMI Latin Awards.
“Music is more important than ever in times like these, and we are extremely proud to honor the Latin songwriters behind the year’s most-performed songs,” said Mike O’Neill, President & CEO, BMI. “From Regional Mexican to Contemporary Latin, the diversity and creativity of this genre are limitless, and we are thrilled to celebrate the artistry that goes into creating the best in Latin music today. We look forward to celebrating with everyone in person at next year’s ceremony.”
Renowned songwriter and producer Gaby Music was named the coveted Contemporary Latin Songwriter of the Year for penning eight of BMI’s most-performed songs including the Contemporary Latin Song of the Year, “Taki Taki,” an honor he shared with heavyweights Ozuna, Vicente Saavedra and Jorden “Pardison Fontaine” Thorpe. The bilingual anthem hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay charts, spent more than 54 weeks on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and has received nearly two billion views on YouTube. Other top-performing singles by Gaby Music include “Adictiva,” “Culpables,” “Ella Quiere Beber,” “La Player (Bandolera),” “Sin Pijama,” “Única” and “Vaina Loca,” bringing his career total to 15 BMI Latin Awards.
Regional Mexican Songwriter of the Year went to Geovani Cabrera for writing four of the most-performed songs including “A Través Del Vaso,” “El Lujo De Tenerte,” “Segunda Opción” and “Te Darán Ganas De Verme,” bringing his career total to 12 BMI Latin Awards. The multi-platinum single “No Te Contaron Mal,” written by Edgar Barrera, was named Regional Mexican Song of the Year. The hit single reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Songs Chart where it spent 38 weeks. Barrera also penned award-winning songs including, “Nada Nuevo,” “El Préstamo,” “Mala Mía” and “Clandestino,” co-written with Shakira.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing secured the prestigious BMI Latin Publisher of the Year award for the fifth year in a row, with 16 of the most-performed songs among their repertoire including "Taki Taki,” “Ambiente,” “Amigos Con Derechos,” “Bebe,” “Clandestino,” “Dinero,” “El Préstamo,” “No Es Justo” and “Reggaeton” to name a few
This year, BMI welcomed an elite list of 24 first-time BMI Latin Award winners. New inductees include trap sensation Anuel AA, Puerto Rican Latin urban artist Brytiago, powerhouse producer Sky, new wave regional Mexican artist Adriel Favela and DJ Khaled, who scored his first Latin award for producing the smash hit “Dinero,” featuring Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B., among others. Other milestones include Espinoza Paz receiving his 47th BMI Latin Award, the most for any songwriter, for “Calidad Y Cantidad,” “Mejor Me Alejo” and “No Me Chingues La Vida,” followed by fellow regional Mexican songwriters Horacio Palencia and Mario Quintero with a career total of 35 BMI Latin Awards apiece.
To honor the groundbreaking songwriters and publishers of the most-performed Latin songs of the previous year, BMI created a special page on its website where fans can watch video messages, listen to award-winning music and learn more about their favorite songwriters. For more details and a complete list of 2020 BMI Latin Award winners, please visit: www.bmi.com/latin2020.
